K'Naan & Nas Discuss Friendship and Work Together

In what seemed like an unlikely match at first, Nas and K'Naan have become bros.

Their burgeoning friendship has turned into something much more than the sum of its parts, complementing each others' interest in outside influence and the amalgam of culture.

"We met through Jr. Gong—one of my closest homies—while Nas and Damian were working on Distant Relatives," K'Naan said. "It was a great record, and I was privileged to be a part of it. That's how we first linked."

"I come from the United States, and he's from Somalia" Nas added. "So when he tells his story, it's something new to my ears. It's raw. It's not coming from news channels; it's coming from someone who's actually from there. And coming from where I come from, there's similarities when you tell those stories. There's also big differences between our worlds that a lot of kids don't know about. So you put us on a record together, you bridge those gaps...you see what it is."

Good for them; let's hope the music benefits from this multi-layered connection.